Bandages and Puddles of Whiskey
by Pianoninja
Summary: "He saw her frail form, curled up small in the corner, shaking and holding her gun out uncertainly towards him. "Kate" he said her name softly, the sound of his voice familiar to her subconscious but unfathomable to her panic stricken mind."


**Hey! So this was just a random idea I had the other day, it started off as something completely different and I literally didn't plan it at all, I just wrote. I've barely even checked through it, this was just one of those things that my feels created and I figured; what the heck, may as well share it. Anyway, it's just a very short one shot set in the episode ****_'Kill Shot'. _****I'd love to know what you guys think. :)**

**Disclaimer: Not mine. In any way, shape or form. If only... *sigh***

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_There was a bang, a loud thud, it was happening, she could see it all over again. She could hear the screams of her friends and family, the continuous beep of her heart rate fading. She crouched down in the corner if her lounge, hiding from the illusions created by her mind. _

He was standing outside, knocking on her door, his heart skipped a beat at the sound of her scream from inside.

"Kate!" He bellowed from behind the door, on hearing glass shatter his heart rate quickened. She heard the click of the key in the lock, holding her gun out in trembling hands. Unable to see her intruder through the dark of her apartment she called out, her voice wavering

"Who's there? What do you want?" He saw her frail form, curled up small in the corner, shaking and holding her gun out uncertainly towards him.

"Kate" he said her name softly, the sound of his voice familiar to her subconscious but unfathomable to her panic stricken mind. "Kate, it's me" he spoke again, trying to reassure the detective. "It's Castle." Her breathing was ragged as she stared back at him, her expression dazed. "Put the gun down Kate, nobody's going to hurt you." A petrified little whimper escaped her throat as her whole body tensed and she thrust the gun closer to him.

"Stay back! Don't come any closer" her voice quivered as she cried. He crouched down in front of her, holding out his hands,

"Kate just look at me, you're ok" she continued to stare at him, her eyes sparkling in the light shining through the curtains. "Beckett." The use of her last name made her face light up, some sort of recognition crossing her features.

"Castle?" He couldn't help but smile at her, the innocence in her voice made his veins tingle.

"Come on" he took the gun out of her hands, slowly, helping her to her feet as he flicked the lights on.

She sat cross legged on the sofa, holding a cloth to the bleeding wound on her wrist while Castle squatted nearby, sweeping up the tiny crystals of broken glass.

"There we go, see, all fixed" he was trying to keep up conversation with her, keep her in the right frame of mind as he turned the coffee table back to its normal place. "Now, here" he held out a hand towards her, "come into the kitchen and we'll do something about your arm." She uncrossed her legs and took his hand lightly, standing up slowly from the comfort of her sofa and taking a few shaky steps in bare feet across the cool wooden floor.

"That's it" he continued to reassure her, his deep voice speaking calmly and making her relax slightly. Suddenly there was a loud bang from downstairs which caught her by surprise, causing her to whimper slightly as she jumped towards him. "Hey hey, it's ok" he tried to calm her, gingerly wrapping his arms around her shivering body, feeling her heart racing in closed proximity to his own. After giving her a moment he released her from his embrace, looking down to see her dark eyes glowing back at him he placed a hand on the small of her back as he continued to coax her into the bright kitchen.

"Sorry" he apologised softly to her for the third time in reply to her wincing as he wiped over the wound, as gently as he could, with an antiseptic wipe. "I don't think there's any glass in there and it doesn't seem too deep so I guess we can just wrap you up, but keep an eye on it yeah?" he told her slowly and calmly, trying to avoid having to do anything big like A&amp;E just yet. She nodded half-heartedly, picking at a stray piece of cotton on her old grey NYPD t-shirt while he carefully placed a plaster over the seeping cut and bandaging the injured limb securely. "Ok?" he checked, looking down at her pale face, to which she replied with another curt nod and an unconvincing, mumble of

"You can go now Castle, I'll be ok."

"Oh don't be silly" was his response, smiling and cheerful as he tried to stay positive. He then took her hand, standing her up slowly and directed her towards the bedroom while he poured her a glass of water to try and stave off the hangover she'd otherwise have in the morning. As he walked through the detective's flat he observed the mess of knocked over ornaments and puddles of whiskey spilt on the rug, wondering what exactly went on before he came through her front door just under an hour ago. He entered the bedroom to find her sitting in the middle of the double bed, cross legged and staring at one single spot on the carpet in front of her. "Kate?" He called her name gingerly as he stepped through the doorway. She swiftly flicked her gaze to the bandage on her arm, up to his blue eyes and then back down to her wrist again. A sudden wave of something – realisation? – came over her, a hand came up to her mouth seemingly capturing the sob that afterwards escaped her lips. "Hey" he said it again, so softly that she felt like part of her was floating on happiness while the rest of her body quivered violently, endless cries seeping from her mouth and echoing across the room. She didn't notice him walking towards her but the next thing she felt was his arms wrapped around her again, the steady beat of his pulse unhurriedly pulling her back into reality. He pulled her back slowly to the top of the bed, laying her head gently on the pillow. Her hands covered her tear stained face while he pulled the duvet over her cool skin and fetched a blanket from the bottom of her wardrobe. He heard a small, weak cry from her as he walked back over,

"Castle?" The sound broke his heart all over again, the heart that she had shattered so many times unknowingly.

"I'm here Kate, just go to sleep" he cooed gently, his warm voice enveloping her in safety as he stroked her hair lovingly.

"Castle" she called his name again. "Stay?" He didn't know whether this was the real Beckett talking or the lost and emotionally unstable Kate but he replied to her in the only way that seemed fitting,

"Always Kate. _Always_."

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**Okay so I am aware of how terribly fluffy and cliché this was but do excuse my brain, it had a moment. Leave me a review and shout at me if you want ;)**


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